Overview
- An independent randomized controlled trial by the University of Chicago’s Development Innovation Lab tracked roughly 14,000 students over 17 months across 60 PAL schools and 60 control schools.
- Average usage reached 35.3 hours per student, with researchers linking each additional hour per year to about 0.06 more equivalent years of schooling.
- Learning gains were larger for girls and in lower grades, and smaller schools saw higher usage due to better access to devices.
- Andhra Pradesh is preparing to extend PAL to about 1,224 government schools, with plans to procure longer‑life Chromebooks after earlier tablet deployments funded through Samagra Shiksha.
- The programme’s implementation cost is estimated at $20–$25 per student annually, and Michael Kremer urged expansion paired with careful monitoring of engagement and strong teacher facilitation.